Abortion is a difficult topic to discuss and grasp. Whether it is a dilemma of personal morals and ethics, religion, or simply the nature of the act – the privacy and intimacy of an abortion often causes uneasiness when discussing. To make matters more difficult, there are many issues to consider in addition to deciding whether one wants to attain an abortion; social stigma, cost, parental consent, procedure availability, and more may exacerbate the woman’s situation. In Hong Kong, where the number of legal abortion procedures are limited in public hospitals and costs soar to extreme amounts, many women seeking abortions fall through the cracks and must seek alternative ways of having this time-sensitive procedure fulfilled. As Hong Kong continues to Westernize and liberally develop into comparably one of the most advanced cities in the world, it is important to note that Hong Kong law does not permit a women to rightfully attain a abortion by mere free will. This report seeks to analyze the trials and tribulations that women must face to prevent the need of an abortion as well as the difficulties in procuring one. The methods of researching articles through scholarly sources is detailed and depicted with a flowchart; reasons for inclusion and exclusion are noted. Entailed in the results section is also a comprehensive analysis of the gaps in Hong Kong’s abortion laws; discussed are the problems women endure when trying to satisfy Hong Kong’s legal requirements for abortion procedures as well as when they avoid the legal and/or medical system altogether. Supporting evidence, facts, and figures of historical prices and methods of abortions are displayed in the results section to support the dissertation argument. Finally, a discussion involving recommendations and how to move forward are suggested in order to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and therefore abortions in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Background: The tobacco epidemic causes a major burden to long-term global public health. Second hand smoke is one of the modifiable exposures causing adverse health effects to children; 40% of children in the world are regularly exposed to second hand smoke and children account for more than a quarter of all deaths from second hand smoke exposure. The global burden highlights the importance of implementation and enforcement of comprehensive smoke-free legislation. Despite smoke-free legislation having been shown to have a positive effect in reducing the prevalence of tobacco consumption and second hand smoke exposure, displacement of smoking from enclosed public places to homes after implementation of smoke-free legislation might increase second hand smoke exposure in children. Objectives: This systematic review aims to investigate the effect of smoke-free legislation on second hand smoke exposure in children and to explore the potential risk factors that may affect its effectiveness. Methods: Studies were searched in online electronic databases, PubMed and EMBASE Classic+ EMBASE 1980-via Ovid (from 1980 to 2014) under the Library website of the University of Hong Kong, by keyword search, hand search of references and Google Scholar for relevant articles published from 2004 to present. Observational studies assessing the effect of smoke-free legislation on second hand smoke exposure in children assessed from cotinine measured before and after the introduction of smoke-free legislation were included. Results: This systematic reviewed identified 8 relevant studies. 3 were assessed as good quality and 5 as average quality. All selected studies reported a decrease in the geometric mean of cotinine concentration after the implementation of smoke-free legislation, but only one of them showed that the reduction in cotinine concentration was significantly reduced from 0.3ng/ml to 0.2ng/ml. An increase in the percentage of cotinine concentrations below the limit of detection and a decrease in the percentage of harmful levels of cotinine concentration were also found. Lower socioeconomic status, more parental smokers and low level of home smoking restriction affected the reduction in second hand smoke exposure after implementation of smoke-free legislation. Conclusion: Smoke-free legislation has a positive effect towards reduction in second hand smoke exposure in children. There is no evidence supporting the possibility that smokers displace tobacco consumption from public areas to their homes after implementation of smoke-free legislation in Western settings. Whether more effort to encourage smoking cessation among parents and other family members living with children would be particularly effective in reducing the public health burden of tobacco consumption should be investigated. Further tobacco control strategies are suggested to work comprehensively with smoke-free legislation to further reduce the global burden of tobacco epidemic. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

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M. Tech. Comparative Local Development. Department of Economics. / In his budget speech of 2005, the then South African Minister of Finance, Mr Trevor Manuel, announced that the Regional Services Council levies would be eliminated in 2006. He stated that the Regional Services Council levies were being disbanded because they were inefficient, inequitable and a poorly administered local tax instrument. This move by the Minister resulted in widespread discomfort and generated vigorous objections by organised local government and other stakeholders. They claimed that, rather than abolishing their source of revenue, the Minister should rather have enhanced the tax by legislation, since the reasons he provided for labelling the Regional Services Council levies as inefficient, inequitable and poorly administered were incorrect. The rationale for this study is to determine whether the Regional Services Council levies do in fact meet the criteria for being a decentralised local tax. Nkangala District Municipality's situation was used as a case study.

published_or_final_version / Economics / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

No description available.

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No description available.